Game of skill



Jan. 8, `1935. R. A. Hl-:NNINGS GAME OF SKILL Filed DGO. 31, 1932. 3 Sheets-Sheet l om w Vn m oooooecoooq Jan. 8, 1935.

` R. A. HENNINGS GAME OF SKILL 3 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Dec. 51, 1932 fafa' lan. 8, '1935.

R. A. HENNINGS GAME OF SKILL Filed Dec.V 3 Sheets-Sheef 3 INVENTOR. fqyw/JA feyz qui?? o ATTORNEYS.

m lhhv i Patented Jai-8, 1935A i i 1,986,929

` v -GAMEOF-SKILL p Raymond A. Hennings; New `Orleans, La. l i ApplicationDecembcrl, ISBZJ-"Seria-l NIL-649,719

n L t 1 claim. j (c1. 21a-1gb.,

i This invention relates `tegame apparatusfand theballsinto-the pockets. Electric {lamps'Q are inconsists in the `.novelyfea-ture hereinafter demounted :uponthe uppersurface of Ithe bfnardfbe-y scribedand claimed. i o Y l yondthelcurved portion ofthe flange 2-and`each I'An object of theinventionisto provide agam'el 'lampf9 is in alinement w-ithone offthe pockets "7` offlskill Yconsisting.otapparatus in whichv an in' and oneofthe `lamps 9 -is in alinement with the 5` c'lined'board is used, said `locliard-is covered with alley 5.6: All of the lamps 9 are electrically 'con-7 vfelt and is provided with a seresof pockets upon nected `together .by wiring 110 :and -ithe lamp 9 `itsupper surface. Spaced'contacts are Vlocated which is inalinement withithealleyis--connected upon theboard'adjacent -thepockets and a series with'lan inlet wire' 11. A'w-ire "12 `connects the lo of signal lamps is mounted upon the board and terminal lamp with a bell signal `-13 which is l0` thesaid lamps'are electricallyconnected together locatedkunderflthe:upperportion of-theboardid` j andare wired toswitches. A series of balls of a Aspringtactuated' plunger rod 14 islo'cated at certain weight are adaptedtoclose the switches the lower end ofl thealley fThe plungerl -rod whereby the electric circuit. with theseries o'f is'wprovided with-the usual-leather faces and l5 lamps is completed when a ball is :located ini balances.` `When the plunger rod is withdrawn or l5 each-pocketand mea-ns are `provided. forpro# pulledv y"rearwardlylznidreleased the said leather je'cting` .thefballs nponlthe `felt covered board;` face off-the plungerjrod drives a ball inthe lwer" A furtherlobject ofcthe invention is to provide end of thealleyfandprojects the said'ball upon new.anduimprovedvlmeans for :conveying the-balls theplayareaof the boardfromwhi'chit may roll from the pocketsandreturning them to the Apoint into-one of the pockets 7."- V'Ihe ballsareindicated 205? of :projection upon theizfelt covered board. c at l5-and are' composedof steelto give them In4 :the accompanying 'drawingsv suilicienti weight" and vvl'ierebyV they^may close fFigure 1 is a top planview of the garneappaswitches and-'thus complete the `circuit -through ratusindicating the under parts `thereof in dotted" the lampslandbellsothat `the jlampswill be ?:-lines.l I o W i. t illuminatedandthe bell is sounded.

Figure '2 is a side elevation of the game appa-f VOneof the `balls'l5- is of -a different color ratusindicating .concealed parts in dotted lines. from the remainingwball's, asffor instancered,` `Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevation View while the remaining balls are of steel color. The of the game apparatus with parts indicated in ball of distinctive color is known as the mystery y dotted lines. y ball in that if it is properly played in the game 30 Figure 4 is a diagrammatic view of .wiring it will *appear in each game and in that the used in the game apparatus. v value of the play made with the mystery ball Similar numerals `of reference designate coryis double the value of theV same play made by responding parts in all the views of the drawings. any one of the steel colored balls. A free Y t The game apparatus includes a felt covered plunger 16 is located at the lower ends of each 35 board 1 which is supported in an inclined position of the pockets 7 and is adapted to slide longiupon a table or loorl in a usual manner.` The tudinally as the balls enter the respective pockets. board 1 is provided upon its upper surface `with As the plunger moves under the weight of the Y l an .upstanding flange 2 the area within which balls it closes the circuit by bringing switch 4i) constitutes the playing surface of the board. tongues 17in engagement with each other. The 40 The flange 2 is'substantiallyV U-shaped and its tonguesl' are connected together by wire seccurved end is located atthe upper end of the tions 18 and the terminal set of tongues is con- Aboard. The ends of the flange 2 are connected nected bymeans of a wire 19 with the bell 13 with a cross piece 3 located at the lower end of hereinbefore described. A wire 20 connects the the board. A partitionstrip 4 is mounted upon other terminal set of tongues with a switch 21 45 Y the upper surface of the board 1 and is` spaced and said switch 2l in turn is connected with a refrom the right `hand yside of the iiange forming turn wire 22. 4.The wires 11 and 22 maybe plugged an alley 5 along which the balls are successively in or otherwisejconnected in `an electric circuit projected as hereinafter described. A series of of approximately 110 voltage. The switch 21 may partition strips `6 mounted upon the upper be actuated by a plunger 23 a usual manner. 50 `surface of the'boardl andthe said strips 6 are The board V1` is provided at the lower end of spaced from eachother' forming ball receiving each pocket 7 with an opening 24 of suiiicient pockets '7. Rows oflpins 8 are mounted upon the diameter to permit the balls to pass thereboard and extend substantiallyr inalinernent with through. The opening 24 is normally closed by the partition 6 and serve as means for directing a plug 25. VAll ofthe plugs 25are mounted upon 55 a panelv 26 which is hingedly attached to the under side ofthe board. A plunger rod 27 is slidably mounted at the lower end of `the board 4and one end of said plunger rod is connected with the panel 26 and is adapted to swing the panel in a downward direction when the rod 27 is pushed in, thus withdrawing all of the plugs 25 from the openings 24 and permitting the balls to pass through the said openings and fall into a chute 28 located under the lower end. of the board 1. *Across bar 29 is carried by the plunger rod 27 and abutment studs are mounted at intervals upon the cross-bar. When the plunger rod 27 is moved inwardly the studs 30 encounter the ends of the plunger 16 and move the same" y forwardly whereby the tongues 17 are separa-ted `from each other, the circuit is broken and the balls are forced by the end ofthe" plunger 16 through the openings 24. v

From the chute 28 the balls roll into'a raceway 31. Said race-way is inclined downwardly under the point of projection of the balls upon the board.y A hood 32 extends upwardly from lthe lower endofthe race-way and is adapted to` conduct the balls upwardly and deposit them inthe lower end of the alley 5 at which point the balls are projected by using the plunger 14 as hereinbefore described. t I 1 A plunger 33. is slidably mounted in the lower endwof the hood 32 and the' said plunger is mounted upon a lever 34 fulcrumed in a bracket 35 attached to the under side ofthe board.

A vertically disposed plungerrod 36 is slidable l throughfthe board and its lower end is mounted upon the,lever134. Whenthe plunger rod 36 isfdepressed the. lever 34 isswung whereby the `plunger33is moved upwardlyginv the hood and the-ballsin the hood are elevated and the uppermost ball in the hood may Aroll from the upper end thereof into-the alley 5. A partition member 37 is carried bythe lever 34-and is adapted to move across the pathfof the balls in the raceway 31 when thelever 34 is actuated, thereby holding back theupper balls in the race-way and permitting those in the lower 4part off the raceway to enter the hood. A cylinder-38- is located under the lever 34 and a piston 39/is slidable When the plunger 23 is moved toY close the switch 21 and wheneach of the pockets 7 receives a ball the circuit is closed through the wiring and all of the lamps are illuminated at the same time the bell 13 is sounded. 'I'hus a visible and audibley signal is given indicating that each pocket has received at least one ball. The upperv surface ofthe board 1 is provided with pilot pins 43 which are located at the upper ends of the rows of pins 8 and which may be struck bythe balls so that the course of direction of travel of the balls is changed over the surface of the board thus making it possible to' more readily supply each pocket with 'at least one ball. Thirteen balls are used and ten balls only are delivered into the alley. Each ball of the same weight travelson the felt and is propelled by the .balanced plunger, strikes the pilot pin and is directed into one of the pockets.

v I claim:-

Game apparatus comprising an inclined board having a series of pocketsthereon, a circuit closing switch at the lower end of each pocket, 'each switch having a slidable plunger extending into one of the pockets, electric conductors connecting the switches in the form of a group and in series, a source of electricsupply connected with one Iof the `terminal switches of the series, an electric signal connected with the other terminal switch of the series; a vseries of balls adapted to roll over the `boardand enterthe pockets and slide one of the plungersand close the switch, the number of balls being equal to or greater than i the number of switches and manually operable means for projecting the balls upon the board.

' RAYMOND A. HENNINGS. 

